The present invention relates to a battery indicator system, and more particularly to charging plugs on recreational vehicles and/or a gauge to indicate status information, such as state of charge or state of health, or both, about a power source on a recreational vehicle.
Many vehicles come with a 12 volt charging receptacle or port. These ports are usually configured to transfer power from the vehicle to a device plugged into the port with a connector. This power transfer is usually performed to charge devices that are external to the vehicle. As an example, a mobile phone or laptop can include a rechargeable battery. A cable and associated plug can be connected to the device. The plug can be plugged into the port. Usually the port will enable the power source on the vehicle to transfer power to the plug, through the cable to ultimately recharge the mobile device battery.
An issue with charging mobile devices from a port on a smaller vehicle, such as a recreational vehicle, can be that use of one or more vehicle systems can drain the power source, for example, the vehicle battery to the point that the vehicle can no longer start or operate. Power drain during operation can sometimes cause the engine stall. Examples of vehicle systems or hardwired systems that may cause such power drain include a stereo amplifier, a spot light, a snow plow, or a winch. The charging of an external device may also drain the power source or contribute to parasitic loss to the point that the vehicle can no longer start or operate. Power drain on a power source can, in some cases, leave the operator of the vehicle stranded, which is of course unsatisfactory.
Accordingly, there remains room for improvement in connection with charging ports on vehicles, particularly with regard to smaller recreational type vehicles.